The Mage Who Cried Wolf
by Kyla2
Summary: THIS IS A SEQUEL THE FIC "SECRETS"!!!! IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU READ THAT STORY FIRST!!!! However, this is a D/N romance, that takes place during Squire. Mystery and fluff abound.
1. A Troublesome Beginning

d+n+1

Disclaimer: all characters and places belong to the goddess, Tamora Pierce. I only own the plot and Ana. 

Chapter One

A Troublesome Beginning

"Ana! Anatolia, where are you?" Daine Salmalin called anxiously across the courtyard of the Tower, where she and her husband and daughter lived. At twenty-five, she was still quite young, and the mother of an overly active six-year-old, who made the strands of Daine's smoky dark hair go gray.

"Come find me, Mommy!" She heard a giggle to her left and snapped her head to see where it came from. A rustle in a berry bush about twenty yards away revealed her child's hiding place. Playing along with the game, she Daine scratched her chin as if pondering a perplexing question. 

"Where could she be? I hope she's not lost. Her daddy will be awfully upset when he learns that his little sunrise has gone missing… ah, well. I'll look again tomorrow." Daine turned and began to walk away, but was abruptly halted as a pair of arms locked like steel around her knees. 

"Don't make daddy sad. I'm right here." The tiny voice of the child that clenched her legs was so upset and full of guilt that it was all Daine could do to keep from laughing. 

"My Angel! Where have you been hiding?" The young woman picked up her child and rubbed her nose against the girl's in an affectionate eskimo kiss. Daine looked deeply into Ana's blue-gray eyes and saw all the Wildmagic power that was yet to be unleashed. _She'll be a great Wild Mage some day, _she thought.

"I was in the bushes, talking to that rat that digs a lot. He was kinda' angry with me. Said I shouldn't be wakin' People up at all hours of the day." Ana's long, curly black hair bobbed as she was carried back to the Tower. "You're not going to tell daddy I was hiding again are you? I don't want him to be angry with me like the digging-rat."

Daine laughed lightly. "You know your father never gets angry with you. Why would you think such a thing?"

The little girl shrugged and let herself drop onto the ground. She took her mother's hand and said, "Dunno. All my friends' daddies get mad at them. Uncle George and Uncle Jon get mad at Thom and Kally and them all the time. They have to do chores and stuff."

Again, Daine laughed. "Your father spoils you too much. You could never do anything wrong in his eyes. You're his little girl. His sunrise. Come on now. Let's go see what he's doing."

***

As Daine and Ana slipped back inside the Tower, a figure lurked not more than one hundred yards away. Stashing a small scrying glass into the satchel at his waist, the figure took off into the forest. As he drew farther away, he shape-shifted into a vulture and took to flight. He circled ominously overhead a few times before heading towards Pirate's Swoop…

A/N: I know, I know. This was very short and had very little plot, but I promise it will get better. I just left it open to a little reader interpretation. If you have any ideas of how you'd like it to go, please feel free to write them in a REVIEW ::ahem, ahem. Subtle hints all around:: Don't be offended if I choose not to use any of them. I just want to get a reaction from the public about the first chapter the long awaited sequel to Secrets. Also, in case you didn't figure it out in Secrets, "Anatolia" means "Break of day" or "Sunrise" in Italian. Thanks, and please R/R ;-)

*Kyla*


	2. A Shape-Shifter Made Known

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

A Shape-Shifter Made Known

The vulture hovered six feet off the ground, his shifty eyes wavering about the clearing in the forest outside Pirate's Swoop. He finally convinced himself it was safe to land and let his jagged talons dig into the dry, hard earth. Slowly, the bird beak became a mouth and nose, followed by the wings into arms and feathers into skin and hair. The full shifted figure was a tall man, young to be shifting so perfectly, but a man who looked older than he really was. For his purposes, this factor was well fitted. The solid jaw line was pulsating as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. Taking out a standard issue hand knife, the man made a long vertical gash down his side, then another down his cheek. Gritting his teeth fiercely, he hobbled up the gate of Pirate's Swoop. The guards at the turrets began shouting, calling out to him to remain where he was. He smiled to himself as he fell over, faking the pain and agony he knew he should be feeling. 

"He has on a uniform of the Royal Court! Help him in!" The voice floated from above and felt like music to his ears. 

_It worked…_

_ _

***

"Daddy!"

Ana dove into her father's lap after she forced open the door to his workroom. Wrapping her arms around his long, stork-like neck, she gave him a sloppy kiss onthe cheek. She climbed down and ran off to find Kitten, the twelve-year-old dragon that lived with the three at the Tower. She brushed past Daine, who was pushing open the door herself when Ana scurried out of the room.

"Sweet. Another glorious midsummer's morning. Nothing terrible happened while I shut myself away in this horrid room, I hope?" Numair Salmalin took Daine by the hand and guided her into his lap. She sat for a moment, kissing his lips tenderly, teasingly, to the brink of flirtation. Then she pulled away and stood up.

"She was hiding again, today."

Numair sighed heavily and drew in another deep breath before brushing a hand through his hair and shrugging. "I don't know what else to do. We've tried everything but punishment to stop her from this habit, but nothing works. One of these days, we may not be able to find her. Daine, I know we have to do something, but what that something is may take a while to figure out."

Daine relaxed and sat back down on her husband's lap. She rested her head on his broad chest and closed her eyes. "Maybe punishment is the only way to make her learn. Some extra responsibility won't hurt her too much. She could dust your books or help me with the scrubbing in the kitchen. There's always something to do in there."

"Perhaps, or we could sit her down for another talk. See what happens then." Numair kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly. "Go on and find our daughter before she and Kit burn down the Tower. We'll talk more tonight…" He trailed off and winked at her, which usually meant there would be no talking that night. 

She smiled coyly at him and walked out the door, closing it softly behind her. 

A/N: To Grace: yes, the title does have significance, just not yet. And this story is about Daine and Numair, Ana just happens to be the basis of the plot. Any who, is this any better? What do you think? Sorry if I didn't use any of your ideas, I just thought of this great idea a few hours ago and decided it would go great with the story. So, please R/R, since I love to hear from all my readers. Keep throwing out the ideas. I might use one next time. (Don't worry, u'll get full credit for it, I'm not going to cheat u out of a perfectly good idea and then give no credit)

Thanks. Please R/R!! ;-)

*Kyla*


	3. Anger Management

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Anger Management 

Daine found herself in the stables after supper that night. Cloud welcomed the company, since Ana was taking up so much of her master's time. The horse munched happily on oats from her trough while Daine took her time in grooming her. The conversation was light, mostly a mutual silence that was perfectly fine for the two old friends, but their quiet was soon diminished to a Tortallen version of Romper Room. Ana burst in, laughing wildly, with a haggard looking Numair following closely behind. 

"Don't let him catch me!" she squealed in delight as she hid behind Daine's loose work breeches. Clutching the folds of fabric in her tiny fists, Ana giggled helplessly as Numair attempted to reach around Daine and grab her. He huffed, frustrated, at Daine, who slowly brought her hands down on the little girl's arms. She lifted her effortlessly onto her shoulders, causing the child to shriek in protest.

"Don' wanna go ta bed!" she said through her tears. "Wanna stay and talk ta Cloud!"

Daine heard the horse whiney from behind her as she started out the large stable door. 

_Let the child stay, for Mithros' sake, Daine! The noise she make sis giving me a headache._

__Daine scowled at Cloud, giving her a look that said she would deal with her later. Ana slipped off of her shoulders and wandered in and out of the stalls until she reached Cloud's small space. They were deep in conversation before Daine realized that Numair was no longer in the barn. She walked out a ways, and saw him bent over a trough filled with murky water. She made her way over to him, hands on her hips.

"What were you thinking?!" she hissed loudly as she pushed his head into the water. 

"I was thirsty! Horse Lords, Daine! I was just thirsty!" he said through his sputters, his hair full of soggy hay. 

"Not about the water, Numair! You left me in there alone with her and you _know_ that she always wants to talk to Cloud! Numair, I can't control her all by myself! Between the two of us, she got more spirit and independency than anyone I know. I need you to be there when she shows that spirit, not hiding with you head in horse spit." Daine heaved, furious, then took a deep breath to calm her down. She kissed Numair lightly before saying, "I'm going to bed. You just get her out of there. See you in a while."

Daine walked back to the Tower dejected, her formerly content mood shattered in a million pieces. She had hoped that she and Numair could've "talked" that night, but presently it seemed out of the question. _I hope this doesn't continue. I might not make it to thirty._

__Daine stopped when she heard a frantic voice calling to her from the stables. She turned, and watched as Numair dashed up to her. 

"She's gone, Daine! I can't find her!"

_ _

***

"Help him in, I said! Now!" 

The man shuddered at the sound of that voice: distinctly female, but deeper than a person would normally hear from a woman. The men at the gates lifted him roughly, causing the gash in his side to burn as if he had set it on fire. A particularly large man dug a pointed finger into the cut, making it difficult for him hold up his charade. The pain was real, for certain, but he was used to pain like this. He felt it everyday, in his longing for the only woman he would ever love:

Veralidaine Sarrasri.

"Put him down in here, then get me a wet cloth. Hurry up, now! Don't dawdle." A calloused hand touched his cheek gently, and he could feel the woman's Gift flow through his face, healing him. She wiped away the blood that covered his face, and gasped seconds later. 

_She knows me. Excellent._

A/N: good cliffhanger? Bad cliffhanger? Tell me what you think. Who should the lucky villain be…Perrin? Neal? Kaddar? Perhaps an unknown evil-doer that I just happen to make up… ah well. You'll find out soon enough… R/R ;-)

*Kyla*


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